IMDb qualifier Cal Film Festival is a LA-based international Short Film Festival.

Every quarter, we award the best independent short films curated from around the world, against a high standard of merit and a very competitive acceptance rate. The award winners of 4 quarter editions qualify for the Annual Awards, which event takes place at Regal LA Live.

We welcome projects from all genres, fictional or non fictional, linear or nonlinear, including non-English speaking, low or no-budget productions, and works from traditionally underrepresented countries in global film industry.

Main judging criteria: innovative and/or competent filmmaking, passionate storytelling.

No extra fees to have your film considered for technical & performance awards. Just submit to the main (genre) categories that you feel your project fits better, and we take care of the rest.

Awards & Prizes

A Los Angeles based team, from the film sets to the academia, with different international backgrounds and a keen eye for the global indie production, review all entries.

All projects officially selected in each quarter receive the Cal Film Festival official laurel and the custom certificate of achievement according to their final status in the competition.

Our judging team review the quality and creativity of each entry on a performance scale. The highest rated entries are nominated for the awards of the respective categories and finally are choose the winners.

Besides the main award for each category, it can be given Outstanding Achievement Awards (for the runner-ups) and Honorable Mentions.

Also, for each quarter, Cal Film Festival may decide special technical & performance awards, such as Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, etc.

EVENTS DATES
The event date in Filmfreeway designates the day of the announcement of the award winners of each quarter.

ANNUAL AWARDS
The date and the program are announced after each cycle of 4 quarter editions.

Rules & Terms

All films should have a maximum length of 60 minutes.

The films must include English subtitles (unless the spoken language is English).

By submitting the film, the submitter agrees that:
1. Cal Film Festival can use trailer/teaser/film poster/stills or BTS for promotional purpose (but do not release, under any form or circumstances, the full film)
2. Entry fees are non-refundable.
3. The submitter owns all the rights to the film.
4. Submission cannot be withdrawn after the announcement of the official selection.

For student fee, it is mandatory the student status evidence (e.g. copy of student card).

For public events, submitter must provide a DCP or, if not possible, at least a 2K mov or mp4 digital file.

The projects that do not follow the rules & terms above can be automatically disqualified at the sole discretion of Cal Film Festival.

Disclaimer:
(i) Cal Film Festival does not disclose any kind of information with third parties.

Important Notice: The submitter owns all the rights to the film, meaning that the submitted work (i) does not violate or infringe any copyright, patent, privacy right, publicity right, trademark, service mark or any other personal or property right of any person or entity, that (ii) does not constitute or include a defamation of any person or entity, and that (iii) its representatives have paid and will pay in full all license fees, clearance fees, and other obligations, of any kind, arising from or associated with the exhibition of the Film at or in connection with the Festival. Also, that the submitter is duly authorized, on his own behalf and on behalf of all other persons or entities who have any ownership rights or interests (including, without limitation, intellectual property rights) in or relating to the film, to exhibit the film at the Festival.

Cal Film Festival 2023 © All Rights Reserved